That Allez Les Noirs links to a version of Ka Mate, broadcast on French TV.

The French translated the haka, which seems weird. I can't imagine most NZers could give a reasonable translation of Ka Mate, indeed a fair number couldn't tell you anything about what it means and its history.

My entry for the whiskey:

Party like it's (no longer) 1999! Whiskey Galore.

I'm not making an entry for the ABs losing. What sort of jinx is that to put on the team? C'mon! No pie for you lot.

The French translated the haka, which seems weird. I can't imagine most NZers could give a reasonable translation of Ka Mate, indeed a fair number couldn't tell you anything about what it means and its history.

When I worked at the NZ High Commission in London, I got regular requests for a translation of the words to Ka Mate. Needless to say the words are pretty underwhelming in English, as is the back story (Te Rauparaha hiding from his pursuers). Like our National Anthem, it is *much* better in Maori.

When I worked at the NZ High Commission in London, I got regular requests for a translation of the words to Ka Mate. Needless to say the words are pretty underwhelming in English, as is the back story (Te Rauparaha hiding from his pursuers). Like our National Anthem, it is *much* better in Maori.

As a pretty obvious rugby fanatic living in exile, I get this same request often and have likewise noticed how underwhelming the translation is today. Makes Kapo O Pango all the more meaningful to me.

Since when did anyone, anywhere, apart from English poetry, use the compressed term "'Tis" in all seriousness? Whenever I've seen the haka written out its been "it is death/it is life...."

And of course the words look silly when you write them out. They do for any damn song.

'Tangled up in Blue', to take a song sort of pretty much at random because it happens to be on the stereo at this moment - makes no bloody sense at all if you write the lyrics out. Its the way the phrases sort of work with the tune which creates the power....OK, there's not much of a tune to 'Ka Mate' but you get the idea. It's the performance.

Opera is particularly bad, if you translate the words into English - if anyone is THAT BORED...but then opera is over-the-top and self dramatising and reminds me strangely of a number of my primary school teachers...

'Scuse me, here, but inspired by this forum I now have a whisky on Friday arvo when I'm cleaning up the office and clearing the backlog and generally hosing down the yard (dairy farmer analogy there I'm afraid)

"Slow Turning" by John Hiatt has replaced 'Tangled Up in Blue' …still would look silly written out.